Severe weather expected Sunday night, Monday night across Nebraska

HASTINGS, Neb. — Forecasters are warning Nebraskans to brace for the possibility of severe weather on Sunday night and Monday night.

The National Weather Service lists all of the state in some form of risk for severe weather on Sunday and classifies much of the state as being in an enhanced risk. The NWS issued a tornado watch for 17 counties in western Nebraska until 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday.

Storms are expected to produce large hail up to two inches and wind gusts of 60-70 mph. Heavy rainfall could also lead to potential flash flood warnings. The storms are expected to move in two major areas: northeast from the south Sunday afternoon into early overnight, and another forming over north-central regions Sunday evening with the possibility of them overlapping.

Severe weather continues into Monday, focusing on eastern portions of Nebraska getting the most action. The Storm Prediction Center indicates moderate risk, with storms likely between 3 pm and 10 pm. There is a 60-90% chance of thunderstorms, with a 15-40% chance of individual storms turning severe. These severe storms could produce large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes, although the chances of that happening are very low.

The greatest risk on Monday is near and east of Highway 281. However, there is no data indicating how far west the storms will extend. The main threats include large hail, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall.